How to Ruin Paradise
In the first week of my Gideon study, Priscilla Shirer wrote, "Israel's experience in Gideon's day reveals a stunning reality: we can spoil paradise and ruin God's abundant blessing. And the quickest, most surefire way to do it is to forget the One who gave us the blessing and victory in the first place." (p. 10)
What did she mean by this? Well, basically that Israel had forgotten what God had done for them. They forgot that He had led them out of slavery in Egypt. They forgot God's provision as their ancestors wandered in the desert for 40 years. And they forgot that with God's help, Joshua had conquered the people of Canaan and led them into the land flowing with milk and honey. They forgot what God was capable of doing in their lives.
In Deuteronomy 7:1-2, God told the Israelites to destroy the nations totally. They didn't. It appears from Judges 1:19 that they allowed fear of the "iron chariots" to keep them from obedience. Priscilla writes, "Israel was making decisions based on their limited supplies instead of on the boundless resources of their God. If God had commanded their enemies destruction, He had also taken into account their iron chariots and had planned to equip His people for victory regardless. No weapon could stand against the power of Yahweh. If only Israel had believed that and lived according to it. . . . If only you and I would do the same." (p. 11)
Yes,the Israelites had gained some of the promised land, but they chose not to fight for all of it. "They chose comfort instead of commitment to the One who had rescued and sustained them. . . Partial obedience is always a temptation. . . but it always leads to future hardship, eventually making our lives more difficult than they need to be. (p. 12)
In this week's study we were asked to consider several things. First, what "iron chariots" were we allowing to intimidate us and keep us from being fully obedient. Second, what comforts did we need to abandon to be obedient. And third, to consider how our disobedience was having a weakening effect on our life.
In my own life, it was a lack of esteem from not feeling truly loved and valued that led me to the foot of the cross. When I entered into a personal relationship with Christ, I learned I was loved. So much so, that Jesus was willing to die just for me. But even though I know this, sometimes my emotions keep me from believing it. In the flesh, I find my critical spirit ruling my thoughts and speech. It is through judgmental comparison that I think I feel better about myself. But really, deep down, I don't. Why? Because those attitudes toward others are not loving and being disobedient doesn't lead to blessing, as this study reminded me. Disobedience "always leads to future hardship, eventually making our lives more difficult than they need to be." (p. 12) These attitudes of mine ruin relationships.
The "iron chariot" that I fear is admitting my sin. Coming to a place of repentance. It's easier to justify putting others down than to be obedient and put away this childish comparing. This is the comfort I need to abandon.
And this behavior not only weakens my walk with the Lord and has a negative effect on my relationship with others, but I risk passing it on to my children. My daughter has revealed a jealous spirit toward her brother. She often plays the comparison game - putting him down (I know) to make herself feel better. I cringe every time she does it because it's like looking in a mirror. This realization humbles me greatly.
The fact is that "God has deliberately positioned each of us to be His representative, beckoning our ailing culture to Him - one person at at time. . . No matter what God's plan looks like in our lives, His hand is on us to wage war against the enemy within our spheres of influence." (p. 25)
My children are two of my greatest spheres of influence. "My role as a mom is a deliberate strategy initiated by God to rear" my children into godly adults. "I am resolved to fulfill this calling -to be for them what God needs me to be during this critical stage in their lives." (pp. 25-26)
This reveals to me that it is imperative that I walk in obedience to the One who has given me all blessings - especially my children. As I confess my sins, read His word and pray for the will to be more like Him, I trust that "God will empower (me) to complete His work, multiplying (my) simple efforts to achieve maximum results." (p. 26)
-Quotes from Gideon by Priscilla Shirer; Lifeway Press
What did she mean by this? Well, basically that Israel had forgotten what God had done for them. They forgot that He had led them out of slavery in Egypt. They forgot God's provision as their ancestors wandered in the desert for 40 years. And they forgot that with God's help, Joshua had conquered the people of Canaan and led them into the land flowing with milk and honey. They forgot what God was capable of doing in their lives.
In Deuteronomy 7:1-2, God told the Israelites to destroy the nations totally. They didn't. It appears from Judges 1:19 that they allowed fear of the "iron chariots" to keep them from obedience. Priscilla writes, "Israel was making decisions based on their limited supplies instead of on the boundless resources of their God. If God had commanded their enemies destruction, He had also taken into account their iron chariots and had planned to equip His people for victory regardless. No weapon could stand against the power of Yahweh. If only Israel had believed that and lived according to it. . . . If only you and I would do the same." (p. 11)
Yes,the Israelites had gained some of the promised land, but they chose not to fight for all of it. "They chose comfort instead of commitment to the One who had rescued and sustained them. . . Partial obedience is always a temptation. . . but it always leads to future hardship, eventually making our lives more difficult than they need to be. (p. 12)
In this week's study we were asked to consider several things. First, what "iron chariots" were we allowing to intimidate us and keep us from being fully obedient. Second, what comforts did we need to abandon to be obedient. And third, to consider how our disobedience was having a weakening effect on our life.
In my own life, it was a lack of esteem from not feeling truly loved and valued that led me to the foot of the cross. When I entered into a personal relationship with Christ, I learned I was loved. So much so, that Jesus was willing to die just for me. But even though I know this, sometimes my emotions keep me from believing it. In the flesh, I find my critical spirit ruling my thoughts and speech. It is through judgmental comparison that I think I feel better about myself. But really, deep down, I don't. Why? Because those attitudes toward others are not loving and being disobedient doesn't lead to blessing, as this study reminded me. Disobedience "always leads to future hardship, eventually making our lives more difficult than they need to be." (p. 12) These attitudes of mine ruin relationships.
The "iron chariot" that I fear is admitting my sin. Coming to a place of repentance. It's easier to justify putting others down than to be obedient and put away this childish comparing. This is the comfort I need to abandon.
And this behavior not only weakens my walk with the Lord and has a negative effect on my relationship with others, but I risk passing it on to my children. My daughter has revealed a jealous spirit toward her brother. She often plays the comparison game - putting him down (I know) to make herself feel better. I cringe every time she does it because it's like looking in a mirror. This realization humbles me greatly.
The fact is that "God has deliberately positioned each of us to be His representative, beckoning our ailing culture to Him - one person at at time. . . No matter what God's plan looks like in our lives, His hand is on us to wage war against the enemy within our spheres of influence." (p. 25)
My children are two of my greatest spheres of influence. "My role as a mom is a deliberate strategy initiated by God to rear" my children into godly adults. "I am resolved to fulfill this calling -to be for them what God needs me to be during this critical stage in their lives." (pp. 25-26)
This reveals to me that it is imperative that I walk in obedience to the One who has given me all blessings - especially my children. As I confess my sins, read His word and pray for the will to be more like Him, I trust that "God will empower (me) to complete His work, multiplying (my) simple efforts to achieve maximum results." (p. 26)
-Quotes from Gideon by Priscilla Shirer; Lifeway Press
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